Ernst mennel



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNST MENNEL, OF DARMSTADT, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO E. MERCK," OF

' SAME PLACE.

PROCESS OF- MAKING DOUBLE SALTS OF MERCURY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 405,368, dated June 18, 1889. Application filed March 29, 1888. Serial No. 268,782. (No specimens.) Patented in England February 29, 1888, No. 3,094.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNST h/IENNEL,(1OC- tor of chemistry, a subject of the Duke of Sachsen-Ooburg-Gotha,residin g atDarmstadt, 77 lVienerstrasse, German Empire, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in the Production of Hydrargyrum Compounds, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Great Britain, dated February 29, 1888, No. 3,094,) and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The invention relates to the production of double salts from the combination of mercury with a uni or in ultiwalent phenol; and it consists in a novel process or method of producing the same, substantially as hereinafter fully described, and as set forth in the claims.

Neutral aqueous sublimate solutions have invariably been employed in the processes heretofore known for obtaining the double salts referred toas, for instance, the process of Schadeck-by which the amorphous yellowish to white hydrargyrum earbolicu m oxydatum is obtained by precipitation from an attenuated neutral aqueous solution of the sublimate by means of a concentrated alco holic solution of potassium phenol; or in the process of Romei, by which the phenol salt is obtained as a red precipitate from. the potassium salts of phenol, or the Llalemand process for obtaining the thymol salt.

According to this invention the double salts of 1nerourysuch as the thymol salt or the double salts of mercury of other phenolsare obtained by means of an acid solution of nitrate of oxide of mercury, whereby a crystaL line and sometimes-as in the case of betaphenol and resorcina myorocrystalline salt is obtained, while by the processes above referred to-as, for instance, the process of Schadeck-amorphous pulverulent products are obtained. Practical demonstrations and line thymol solution under agitation, and this is continued so long as the resulting yellow precipitate is again dissolved, so that when strongly agitated the solution will be but slightly turbid. to stand and cool, when it will be converted into a crystalline magma by the'separation from the double combination of mercury thymolate-mercury nitrate of colorless and felted fine needles, consisting of the double combination of mercury thymolate and mercury nitrate. As this combination is readily soluble in an attenuated soda-lye, especially when heated, it maybe obtained from the latter in a purified state by recrystallization. If such an alkaline solution of mercury-thymol double salt is treated with an acid,the salt, owing to its high degree of insolubility in acid, separates therefrom.

In view of the insolubility of the salt the process may be modifiedfor instance, by treating a weak Warm acid solution of nitrate of oxide of mercury with an alcoholic solution of thymol. On cooling, the mixture is also converted into a magma of colorless felted needles. The latter mode of operation is advantageous in that the alkaline The solution is then. allowed thymol solution is not only liable to deep col oration, but also to the formation of sodium nitrate, which can only be removed by prolonged washing.

The pure mercury-thymol salt is absolutely colorless and odorless, but will assume a recldish color after awhile, especially when exposed to light, and smell slightly after thymol, while the salt decomposes readily.

The same results may be obtained with vatreating a uni or multi valent phenol with an 10 rious other phenolsas, for instance, reacidulated solution of a persalt of mercury, sorcln and beta-naphthol Whose correspondsubstantially as described.

ing precipitates are of a yellow 'color, micro- In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in crystalline, and differ from mercury thymol presence of two witnesses. in that they are more readily soluble in acids. ERNST MENNEL.

I claim- WVit-nesses: The herein-described process of obtaining CARL ED. HAHN, double salts of mercury, which consists in WALTER A. LANE. 

